The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea, botanically known as Rhododendron hybrida, an evergreen greenhouse-forcing type Azalea, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Blissxe2x80x99.
The new Azalea is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Azalea varieties having uniform plant habit, profuse and uniform flowering, dark green foliage, good foliage retention during the cooling and forcing periods, resistance to Cylindrocladium, and excellent postproduction longevity.
The new Azalea originated from a cross made by the Inventors in December, 1991, in Salinas, Calif., of the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,412, as the female, or seed, parent with the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Azalea was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., in July, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its single flower form, intense pink flower color, very large flower size, uniform flowering response, very good foliage retention, and excellent postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Azalea by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since April, 1995, has shown that the unique features of this new Azalea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new Azalea has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, relative humidity, fertilizer rate and type, and/or water status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Blissxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Blissxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Very dark green leaves that do not abscise during the cooling and forcing periods.
2. Large plants with dense and outwardly spreading plant habit; vigorous growth habit.
3. Very freely branching habit; usually about 5 lateral branches develop after pinching.
4. Rapid flowering response; plants begin flowering about 23 days after cooling treatment.
5. Numerous, large and showy intense pink-colored flowers.
6. Single flower form.
7. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good flower substance for about four weeks in an interior environment.
8. Very low incidence of infection with Cylindrocladium in inoculated trials.
Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea are more outwardly spreading and not as compact as plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have single flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99 have double flowers.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have intense pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99 have fuchsia pink-colored flowers.
4. Plants of the new Azalea are more resistant to Cylindrocladium infection than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Cachetxe2x80x99.
Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea have single flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99 have single to semi-double flowers.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have intense pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99 have white-colored flowers.
3. Plants of the new Azalea flower about 12 days earlier than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99.
4. Plants of the new Azalea have much longer postproduction longevity than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Alaskaxe2x80x99.
Plants of the new Azalea can be compared to the plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,132. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Azalea differed from plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea are more vigorous, more outwardly spreading and not as compact as plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have larger leaves than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have single flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99 have semi-double flowers.
4. Plants of the new Azale have intense pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99 have dark pink-colored flowers.
5. Plants of the new Azalea have much longer postproduction longevity than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99.
6. Plants of the new Azalea are more resistant to Cylindrocladium than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98YB 871 Remembrancexe2x80x99.
Plants of the new Azalea can be compared to the plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Party Favorxe2x80x99, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,050. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Azalea differed from plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Party Favorxe2x80x99 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea have larger flowers than plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Party Favorxe2x80x99.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have single flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Party Favorxe2x80x99 have semi-double flowers.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have intense pink-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar xe2x80x98Party Favorxe2x80x99 have dark pink-colored flowers.